12.17.12

Were Mason Crosby batting .500 for the Milwaukee Brewers, he’d be the idol of millions. At least until someone pointed out that batting average is a poor indicator of idol viability. However, as kicker for the NFC North Champion Green Bay Packers, Crobsy finds himself the subject of intense scrutiny, with a recent run of poor form (12 for 24 in his last 8 games) causing CBS Sports’ Grgeg Doyel to call him, “a freak show, so unreliable that his coach now treats that side of the field like 4th down territory.”

It started when the doors opened to the Packers’ locker room and about 50 media members headed toward Crosby’s locker. Truth be told, his locker was only 10 feet from Jones’ locker — and seeing how he caught three touchdown passes, lots of the media were in the vicinity for the receiver, not the kicker.

That’s what Crosby was thinking as he put on one dress shirt and folded another, folding it so well he could work at The Gap. He was meticulous with that shirt, is what I’m telling you, and after placing the shirt in his bag he headed for the exit when he walked right into me and another reporter. Wide-eyed, Crosby realized we were there to talk not to the receiver, but to the kicker. The questions came. So did the answers.

“We won the division,” Crosby said. I’ve done some great things…this is a team sport.”

“Winning the game is all that matters.”

On and on he went, treating his struggle like something that’s real only if he acknowledges it. So he refused to acknowledge it.